Ole Miss Inducts Five To M-Club Hall Of FameWells Recipient Of Lotterhos Service Award

Oct. 23, 2013

By Austin MillerOleMissSports.com

This past weekend, the Ole Miss M-Club Association honored a group of six outstanding individuals, five with induction into the M-Club Hall of Fame and one with the Lotterhos Service Award.

The 2013 Class of M-Club Hall of Fame inductees makes 196 members and includes Art Bressler (football, 1971-73), Joe Harvell (basketball, 1990-93), Stacy Hudson-Rich (track and field, 1990, 1993-94), Pascale Piquemal (women's tennis, 1991-94) and the late Stan Torgerson, the "Voice of the Rebels," for 17 years.

"They entered an elite class of alumni of the university," said Clay Cavett, associate director of alumni affairs. "They are great representatives of the university who we honored for their outstanding collegiate careers."

Established in 2008, the Lotterhos Service Award Recipient went to David Wells, who devoted 37 years to Ole Miss as a player, coach and administrator, and now serves as a special assistant to Athletics Director Ross Bjork.

"With the Lotterhos Service Award, we honor M-Club members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty with leadership, dedication, service and commitment to the M-Club and the university," Cavett said.

Art BresslerA three-year letterwinner for the Rebel football team from 1971-73, Art Bressler was a two-time All-SEC selection at offensive guard, earning the honor in 1972 from the Associated Press and again in 1973 from the AP and the United Press International (UPI).

"The honor comes from the people you were involved with, and it means a lot to me when your peers think enough of you to vote you to the Hall of Fame," Bressler said. "I have been to a lot of these inductions and know a lot of people who have been inducted, and I'm very honored to be inducted."

A native of Biloxi, Bressler started every game for the Rebels and helped elevate the Rebels' rushing attack from fifth in the SEC to fourth in 1971 and to a tie for second in 1972.

Bressler helped the Rebels to a 10-2 record in 1971, including a 41-18 win over Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. Following his senior season in 1973, Bressler participated in the 1974 Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Joe HarvellA four-year letterwinner on the basketball court from 1990-1993, Joe Harvell is one of the top players in Ole Miss history. After earning Freshman All-America honors, Harvell earned All-SEC accolades in each of the next three seasons. Harvell racked up 2,078 career points, which still ranks among the top 20 totals in league history and second on the Ole Miss charts.

"It's unreal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Harvell said. "You're talking about playing the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell in the best conference in America, and in the end, to be known as one of the best players to come through this University, it means everything."

As a freshman, Harvell was the SEC Tournament's leading scorer with 57 points while helping Ole Miss to the championship game. In his junior season, he topped the SEC and ranked 12th in the nation in scoring with 25.0 points per outing. Harvell became the second Rebel and 19th SEC player to surpass 2,000 points in a career and started all but one of his 114 career games played at Ole Miss.

Harvell was named to the Ole Miss Men's Basketball All-Century Team in 2000 and was also a member of the Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legends class of 2008.

Stacy Hudson-RichStacy Hudson-Rich (1990-92, 1994) became the first outdoor All-American in track and field, earning the honor in 1994 with a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Championships.

"It's an honor for me," Hudson-Rich said. "I worked really hard for it. In anything that you do, you want to maximize your potential, and to be blessed and graced with that opportunity to be recognized in the Hall of Fame at a prestigious school like Ole Miss, it means a lot to me."

She ranks third in the record books in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.57. Hudson broke the school record as a freshman in 1990 and held it until 1999. The Mississippi native took fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the SEC Championships in 1994 as a senior and also scored in the event in 1991 and 1992.

Hudson was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team that ranks fifth all-time at Ole Miss and held the record for nearly two decades until it was broken in 2002.

Pascale PiquemalPascale Piquemal enjoyed a fine career at Ole Miss (1991-94), both on the court and in the classroom. The All-American participated in the NCAA Championships twice, teaming with Marie-Laure Bougnol to reach the semifinals in 1993 and the nationally-televised doubles final in 1994. The duo advanced higher than any Lady Rebels in the history of the program, as Piquemal completed her senior year ranked ninth nationally in doubles.

"It brought back a lot of emotions and memories from my career at Ole Miss," Piquemal said. "It's nice to be recognized for the work I did while I was there and to be a part of the Ole Miss family. It's going to be a precious moment, one that I will remember for a long time."

A two-time All-SEC honoree, Piquemal posted a 63-39 singles record and 38-20 doubles mark in four years. Throughout her career, Piquemal had several impressive upset wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including defeating the nation's second ranked player in 1993 at the All-American Championships.

Piquemal earned All-SEC Academic honors three years and was a member of the Chancellor's Honor Roll. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (computer science).

For her outstanding accomplishments on the court, in the classroom and her involvement in the community, Piquemal was awarded the "Winning For Life" Scholarship sponsored jointly by Entergy Corporation and the NCAA Foundation. Piquemal received a $2,000 post-graduate scholarship and used it to attend graduate school in France where she completed her master's degree in Business Administration.

Stan TorgersonThe late Stan Torgerson served as play-by-play announcer for 17 years at Ole Miss, as he was at the mic for 176 Rebel football games and 462 basketball games, a period of time that spanned four decades.

"Stan, if you were to talk to a lot of people, especially older people, most people would consider him the voice of the Ole Miss Rebels," said former men's basketball coach Bob Weltlich. "I remember his professionalism but also his real genuine love for The University of Mississippi."

Torgerson first broadcast Ole Miss Rebel football in 1955 and 1956 over a Memphis radio station. He inaugurated the Ole Miss TV show in 1966 and then resumed his play-by-play work on the Rebel Radio Network from 1967 to 1973, and then from 1978 to 1984. He helped organize the Ole Miss basketball network during the 1968-69 season and also called the College World Series when Ole Miss participated in 1972.

Although Torgerson sold his Meridian radio station, WQIC, in 1990, he continued to write a syndicated column that appeared in papers throughout the southeast. His career in broadcasting spanned 61 years.

In 2000, the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame honored Torgerson with its Contribution to Amateur Football Award. From 1993 until his death, he had served as Chairman of the Mississippi Heisman Trophy Committee.

M-Club Lotterhos Service Award Recipient:

David WellsDavid Wells began his association at Ole Miss as a student-athlete, lettering with the football team from 1963-65. He was a member of the Rebels' 1963 SEC Championship football team and participated in three bowl games, including the 1964 Sugar Bowl in which he was the team's leading receiver.

"I recognize how many other people are deserving of this award and respect all past recipients of the Lotterhos Service Award. They have made significant contributions to the University and the M Club Alumni Association." Wells said. "It is a very humbling experience to be included with these special alums."

Wells was an assistant football coach at Ole Miss in 1977, the year the Rebels upset eventual National Champion Notre Dame, 20-13 in Jackson.

In 1981, Wells became the Athletic Department's director of academic support and in 1994 was named the institution's first athletics compliance director, a position which he held until his retirement in 2011. Wells, who currently serves as a special advisor (compliance) to the athletics director, also served as an advisor to the student M-Club for three decades.

He was presented the Outstanding Assistant A.D. Award by the All-American Football Foundation in 2002. Wells holds both a B.A.Ed. and a M.S.S. in history from Ole Miss. He is a retired Lt. Colonel (Army Reserve) and has been inducted into the Ole Miss Army ROTC Hall of Fame.

"Much of my work here at Ole Miss has been with student-athletes," Wells said. "It's been very rewarding to observe young men and women who come here as freshmen, mature and become successful and great ambassadors for Ole Miss in their professions and communities."

Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.

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